Letting you in on a little secret about our small cats!
Growing up, we were all exposed to the glorious world of the big cats. From the formidable tiger, to the almost mythical snow leopard, we as children – and even as adults – look wide-eyed at these beautiful beasts, as they prowl our TV screens. But, shall I let you in on a secret? A little secret, that will blow your mind?
Rusty-spotted cat. Pic by Terry Whittaker
If I were to ask you, dear reader, to name the species of cats in the world, many of you would readily recite them: leopard, lion, tiger, jaguar, puma, cheetah and snow leopard, the domestic cat, and oh, the “civet cat”. See, easy! Now what if I said that the “civet cat” isn’t a cat, but is actually more closely related to the mongoose than any feline, and that apart from the eight cats you named, there are dozens of other small cats out there?
Small cats: if this terminology is known to you, then pat yourself on the back! If this is new, then welcome! The family felidae comprises 41 species of cat. Yes, you read that right: forty one! Out of them, only seven are what we call big cats, which we named earlier, leaving 34 species under the small cat umbrella. Your family pet cat, falls under this broad category, but due to it having lost most of its wild characteristics, we won’t include it in here. So this means there are 33 species of small wild cat in the world. Small wild cats can be found in Mexico and Central America, the U.S and Canada, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia, which holds the most number of species: 15.
The Clouded Leopard, Neofelis. sp., is the largest of the small wild cats, reaching a body size between 11-22kg, while the Margay, Leopardus wiedii, is such an agile climber that it can run, upside down, along tree branches and vines! There is also the Manul, Otocolobus manul, which is probably the most expressive of all the felines, and the Flat-headed Cat, Prionailurus planiceps, which is the most understudied in the world. I could go on, but I don’t want to ruin the fun you will have learning about these species on your own!
Jungle Cat. Pic by Namal Kamalgoda
Sri Lanka’s wild cats
Our little island in the middle of the Indian Ocean, is home to four wild cat species. The iconic Sri Lankan Leopard, Panthera pardus kotiya, and three lesser known small wild cats. The Fishing Cat, Prionailurus viverrinus, is the largest of the three, and is a master angler. It is known for its immense love of water rich habitats, and is known to dive into water to catch its slippery prey! The Jungle Cat, Felis chaus, graceful, tall and long limbed, is often seen stalking small mammals in tall grass in the dryer parts of the country. Finally, the creme de la creme of the entire cat family, the Rusty-spotted Cat, Prionailurus rubiginosus, is an agile little beast that is often seen sneaking along tree branches. Did I forget to mention that the rusty is also the smallest species in the world? But don’t take its tiny size for granted. What it lacks in size, it makes up in personality!
All three small wild cat species in Sri Lanka are poorly studied, and very little is known about their behaviour in the wild. Only a few people have come across them in the wild, and even fewer spend time looking out for them on safari. That’s why Ashan Thudugala and I started Small Cat Advocacy and Research (https://scar.lk), so that we could give a voice to these lesser known felines, and help learn about and protect them.
| Come, support the small wild cat | |
| Help celebrate Fishing Cat February, a month dedicated to the water loving feline, by joining the Small Wild Cat Run 2018 on Saturday, February 17 from 7 a.m. to 12 noon. It is the first of its kind, and aims to raise awareness for our incredible small wild cats! After the run, there will be four special talks, for all participants: 1) World-renowned small cat conservationist Dr. Jim Sanderson will talk about global conservation efforts on small wild cats. 2) Sri Lankan leopard guru Dr. Sriyanie Miththapala will present her efforts to study the jungle cat in Sri Lanka. 3) Nepali conservationist Sagar Dahal will talk on the diversity of small wild cats in Nepal. 4) SCAR Researchers Ashan Thudugala and Anya Ratnayaka will conduct a field workshop on camera trapping, and small cat tracking in the wild. The event will be held at the Diyasaru Park, and tickets can be purchased online – https://scar.lk/walk – or bought at the starting line. Each ticket comes with a free t-shirt of your favourite small wild cat, and will give you access to all lectures and field sessions. So come walk, run or prowl, and support the small wild cats of Sri Lanka! For more information, see:https://scar.lk/walk |